It's the first good news regarding parking meters since the city's decision to privatize them in 2009. Last month, Mayor Daley proposed a free parking exception which will allow motorists one five-minute reprieve per year.

"The change will assist motorists who are occasionally ticketed for accidentally overstaying the time on their pay box receipt by a few minutes, despite trying to comply with parking requirements by purchasing adequate parking time," Daley said in a statement.

Drivers will have to hang on to their receipt in order to apply for a one-time freebie. The new ordinance also orders parking meter employees not to ticket cars whose time has immediately expired.

"The new ordinance also orders parking meter employees not to ticket cars whose time has immediately expired."

Thus differing from the old practice by the addition of the word "not."

If this represents a dawning recognition that City Hall's "gotcha governance" is driving visitors and residents out of Chicago, and a baby step away from that kind of governance, then two cheers. (Third cheer reserved for when I see some actual evidence of same.)

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